Counter hegemony, newspapers and the origins of anti‐colonialism in French India

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to reveal the contribution of counter‐hegemonic communications towards the origins of anti‐colonialism in French India during the years 1935‐1937 and thereby to illuminate the relationship between press, economics and ideology in a colonial context. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents a qualitative study of local archives in Tamil and French, including indigenous print communications such as the workers' paperSwandanthiram. These are used as a prism for analysis of the development of a workers' public voice during major textile strikes, and assessed in the light of John Downing's definitions of advocacy journalism. Findings - Communications were directly connected to disempowerment and lack of civil, political and economic rights. The formation of legal worker organisations for the first time and a new political party provided the context in which activist leaders adopted a twofold vertical and lateral strategy in their publications, to promote their formative anti‐colonial ideas. Research limitations/implications - This research illuminates the relationship between press, economics and ideology in a colonial context, demonstrating the importance of economic factors in rise of nationalist movements and the way press usage is connected to basic civil, political and economic rights. Originality/value - The paper traces a forgotten episode in the history of a neglected corner of French empire, significant for the emergence of the indigenous population – including peasant women – for the first time from the private to the public sphere as an organised force – a factor that has previously been ignored by historians.